F1 champion Max Verstappen loses title after FOUR years despite winning race

Max Verstappen in Qatar — Photo: © IMAGO

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

F1 champion Max Verstappen loses title after FOUR years despite winning race

Max Verstappen's reign is over

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 7 December 2025 17:57

King Max Verstappen's F1 reign is over and the sport makes way for a new champion - McLaren's Lando Norris.

For the past four years, the sounds of the Dutch national anthem has dominated the F1 circus with Verstappen picking up four world titles since the infamous 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Heading into this year's race at Yas Marina, Verstappen was 12 points behind Norris in the standings and needed to win on Sunday to keep his championship hopes alive.

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While Verstappen claimed the crucial pole position that allowed him to win the Abu Dhabi GP, it wasn't enough, with Norris finishing third when the Dutchman needed his rival to finish fourth or lower.

At one stage it looked as if Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was a challenger for fourth place, switching to the mediums on his second pit stop, but ultimately could not hunt Norris down.

Verstappen's title reign ends in Abu Dhabi

Following his F1 title victory against Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen enjoyed two largely untroubled seasons where he dominated the sport - winning 19 of 22 races in the 2023 season.

However, as McLaren gained strength throughout 2024, Verstappen faced real competition for the first time with Norris joining him on the F1 title race stage.

Verstappen's strong start to 2024 allowed him to seal the title early in Las Vegas, but he would have no such luck in 2025 as the threat of McLaren translated into pure dominance.

Meanwhile, Red Bull and Verstappen slipped further out of the picture, as the team entered crisis-mode and parted ways Christian Horner. By the Dutch GP in August, the four-time world champion was 104 points behind the McLarens and, seemingly, way out of the title fight.

Then Red Bull did the unthinkable. The team and Laurent Mekies turned their performances around with Verstappen working his magic and winning six of the last nine races.

However, this resurgence was not enough, with Norris taking the championship by two points on Sunday and the F1 drivers' trophy returns to Britain for the first time since Hamilton's 2020 seventh world title win.

So, here's to Max Verstappen: F1 world champion 2021 until 2024 and a total reign that lasted 1457 days!

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Red Bull Max Verstappen Abu Dhabi Grand Prix